MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) — The Myrtle Beach Mini Marathon is right around the corner.

At this point in the training process, runners are lacing up their sneakers for runs anywhere between nine and 12 miles. For runners who work during the day, they have no choice but to get those runs in before the sun rises.

Kelly Burton, manager at Black Dog Running Company, said runners have to plan their runs around their lives, not their lives around their runs.

“That’s what we do,” Burton said. “Especially training long distance. When you have hours to run, we plan it around our families.”

The climate in Myrtle Beach does not help much, either. The heat and humidity make it dangerous for runners to set off on their runs in the afternoon.

People who do not run, tend to tell runners not to run in the dark, but for distance runners, that really is not an option.

“No. Running on the treadmill is not the same,” Burton said.

If runners are setting out before the sun rises, there are ways to make it safer, and Myrtle Beach is runner friendly.

“Market Common is excellent, and there’s tons of road here,” Burton said. “You don’t even have to cross [Highway] 17, and you can easily get 10 or 12 miles in. You might get lost if you don’t know where you’re going, but again, you’re lost in a safe place, filled with neighbors.”

Burton said connecting with neighbors is another way to set up for success on a run.

“I’m the person who always is making eye contact and saying hi or stopping to pet your dog,” Burton said. “If we know our neighbors, we’re never totally alone.”

Running in a group is always the best idea, but some runners prefer to run alone.

“That’s our mental health. It’s our downtime,” Burton said. “It’s our, you know, let me collect my thoughts and not have to talk to anybody.”

If you are running alone, making sure someone knows where you are and what route you are taking is important.

“Let a few key people know your route,” Burton said. “Every time I run, my husband and two other people know exactly where I am and they can track me live.”

Black Dog has a motto that she hopes all runners will follow.

“Never run alone,” Burton said. “Whether that’s physically or mentally, emotionally, make sure that you feel safe when you’re running.”

Digital trail pass and incentive program showcase color and culture at The Beach

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., Sept. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Visit Myrtle Beach has launched its Arts & Gallery Trail, offering guests an all-new way to explore the destination's 14 unique communities and 60 miles of coastline. In collaboration with the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum and The Arts Grand Strand, the Myrtle Beach Arts & Gallery Trail features more than 100 attractions, studios, murals, sculptures and so much more.

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Visitors and residents alike will get an unexpected look at the destination's vibrant art scene, from hidden gems and secret underground passages filled with art, to popular staples like the award-winning Brookgreen Gardens, which features the largest collection of figurative sculpture in the U.S. and is celebrating its 90^th anniversary this year. The trail also features awe-inspiring oceanfront sculptures, enormous alleyway murals and micro galleries – all of which dot the landscape of the region.

"We are so proud to work with local artists and arts organizations throughout our community to help bring the Myrtle Beach Arts & Gallery Trail to life," said Karen Riordan, president and CEO of Visit Myrtle Beach. "The Myrtle Beach Arts & Gallery Trail will inspire people to explore our ever-evolving destination and dynamic community at The Beach and beyond."

The trail stretches from Little River and North Myrtle Beach to Murrells Inlet and Pawleys Island – stopping in many of Myrtle Beach's lesser-known areas, such as historic downtown Conway, the quaint "Little Golden Town" of Aynor and the newly-minted Arts & Innovation District – along the way. To participate, guests can sign up for a free digital pass and check-in to stops to earn points. Points can be redeemed for a variety of prizes, including prints from local artists, t-shirts and even a trip to The Beach.

"There are so many passionate artists in the Myrtle Beach area, and it's an honor to help share their stories and promote their work through the Arts & Gallery Trail," explained Patricia Goodwin, executive director of the Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum. "I hope visitors and residents alike take time to explore the trail, learn more about the stories of our local artists and experience the diverse arts community Myrtle Beach has to offer."

For more information on the Myrtle Beach Arts & Gallery Trail, please visit www.visitmyrtlebeach.com/artstrail

About Myrtle Beach, S.C.Myrtle Beach isn't just a beach. It's The Beach. Popularly known as the Grand Strand, Myrtle Beach is one destination made up of 14 unique communities that stretch 60 miles along the northeast coast of South Carolina. Families, couples and those in search of a warm welcome will find more than just a day at The Beach when they come together to connect and enjoy vibrant entertainment and family attractions, including world-class golf, shopping and fresh coastal Carolina cuisine. Recognized as an autism-friendly destination since 2016, Myrtle Beach has established a number of programs and partnerships to create an inclusive destination for visitors of all abilities. From the moment you arrive, you'll find you belong at The Beach – Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For additional information on tourism offerings in the Myrtle Beach area, visit www.visitmyrtlebeach.com or call (888) Myrtle-1.

SOURCE Visit Myrtle Beach

If a single word could describe the 2021 real estate market, “desperation” might be the closest. But today, a better description might be “swift tranquility.” Homes still sell quickly but not in the same unhinged manner as they once were.

In Myrtle Beach, homes for sale dropped to record low numbers in 2021 as buyers flooded into the market offering tens of thousands over asking price and waiving due diligence steps such as home inspections and appraisals, local real estate agents said. They made those sacrifices because so many sales turned into bidding wars.

At the same time, potential sellers held onto their homes, fearful they wouldn’t be able to find their next home for a reasonable price, if at all, further reducing the supply of houses on the market.

These “emotion-driven” decisions drove up prices by record levels, as wealthy New Englanders moved into the region, flush with cash and often able to purchase properties twice the size of what they had up north — but for half the price.

A year after that peak of home selling, Myrtle Beach’s real estate market has finally started to cool off. Rising interest rates and inflation have made the prospect of home buying a much more expensive ordeal to some.

That doesn’t mean it has stopped altogether, by any means, Century 21 real estate agent Greg Harrelson said.

It does mean that the market is much calmer. Properties that would’ve turned into 10-person bidding wars on the first day now spend a week or three before selling to fourth buyer who stopped by, Harrelson said. Home sales are still happening quickly, just not as quickly.

“We are starting to see that the (number of) days on market is increasing a little bit,” Harrelson said. “Right now instead of it selling in five days, hypothetically, it might be 25 days. That’s still what we call a seller’s market. But it is definitely totally different than what it was last year.”

The slowdown has also meant that buyers have a little more leverage — though Harrelson cautioned against calling it a buyer’s market. Basically, buyers no longer feel obligated to waive their rights to home inspection and the ability to back out if the appraisal comes back poorly. The offers they make are competitive, but not well above asking price.

“It’s 100% different than it was three months ago or four months ago,” said Renny Diedrich, South Carolina Association of Realtors’ vice president over Myrtle Beach. “It is a more normalized market. The last two and a half years was something that we never experienced.”

If home buying today is a borderline calm experience, when did the slowdown first begin?

Harrelson said he first noticed a change at the start of the year.

“Before you see a shift in the data, you’ll see a shift in conversations,” he said.

Suddenly, buyers were sounding more frustrated. They were “fed up with having to pay more and more,” Harrelson said. They complained about the multiple-offer bidding wars, paying $30,000 over asking price.

“The buyers felt bullied,” Harrelson said.

Whereas, “at the height of the market, people were saying, ‘Find me something. I’ll pay anything,’” he added.

As the slowdown has progressed since the start of the year, the supply of homes for sale has steadily recovered. In one building Harrelson works with, there were three condos for sale last year. Now there are 40. The prices remain competitive, he said, despite the massive increase in availability.

“On average, (there were) 4,500 houses on the market from 2000 on,” Diedrich said of the Myrtle Beach area. “We dipped down to the lowest at about 1,200, and now we’re back up to about 2,100. So we’re not where we normally are, but we’re headed in the right direction.”

Neither Diedrich nor Harrelson believe there is much chance for home prices to actually decrease, at least in the interim. Home sales are still happening at a steady clip.

“I honestly don’t believe, based on what we’re hearing and what we’re seeing, that prices are going to go down,” Diedrich said. “They’re just not going to go up as quickly as they did in the last two years.”

One positive sign is the fact that sellers are not suddenly rushing their homes to the market as the slowdown appears, Harrelson said. That happened during the 2008 financial crisis and contributed to that long-lasting recession.

Diedrich and Harrelson shared advice for buyers and sellers as the real estate market continues to change. The gist was that buyers need to just “breathe,” as Diedrich said.

There also are some more concrete tips and ways of thinking that people need to consider.

Think long-term: Interest rates have spooked buyers, but they are still fairly low. If you want to buy a home, do it. You can always refinance the loan if interest rates decline in a few years.

“Some people are going to say to me, ‘Well, great, I’ll just wait until the interest rates come down,’” Harrelson said. “Here’s what I would say to that: ‘Well, what happened the last time interest rates came down? The last time interest rates came down, there was nothing to buy, no inventory. And when one came on, you had to pay $30,000 over price.’ So be careful what you’re wishing for.”

And, having a higher base loan will cost more in the long-run in the 30-year life of the loan than a few years of interest, he added. Even though a 6% interest rate hurts more than 3%, it’s still better than double digit rates the U.S. has seen in decades past, Harrelson said.

For buyers: Diedrich recommends getting pre-approved for a loan with a local lender because they know more about any potential rules for homes at the beach, such as when a home is purchased as vacation property.

And don’t rush it. Home-buying is a long-term decision, a place to spend the next decade or more of life. If you see something you like, don’t wait on it, but if you aren’t sure, spend a little more time looking to find the perfect fit, Diedrich said.

“Before, (buyers) didn’t have a choice. They had a choice of A, A and A and think, ‘Well, let me guess? I’m going to choose A because I didn’t have a choice,’” Diedrich said. “Now there’s a little more competition out there, and I feel like they can make the best decision. ... They’re not making a decision because they have to make a decision.”

For sellers: Get your home ready to sell; don’t wait to see if there is going to be another market shift or a “better time” to buy your next home after you sell, Diedrich said. And make sure to have the latest advice from a local real estate agent, because the market conditions are changing from one month to the next, she said.

“Have someone up to date on the local industry trends and the local trends so they can educate you,” she said. “Like, ‘Here are your options. What path do you want to go down?”

MURRELLS INLET, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Eastern Eye Care, founded by Shawn Thomas, O.D., has joined the growing US Eye network of premium eye care practices. The addition of Eastern Eye Care continues US Eye’s expansion throughout coastal South Carolina and adds a presence in the growing Grand Strand area, centered around Myrtle Beach. The expansion follows US Eye’s entry into the Hilton Head area in 2021.

“I have personally worked with Dr. Thomas for over a decade and have been thoroughly impressed by his expertise, practice model and his dedication to excellent patient care. He's a fantastic addition to the US Eye team.”

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Through the US Eye partnership, Eastern Eye Care will be affiliated with Carolina Eyecare Physicians, a multi-specialty, multi-location ophthalmology and optometry practice based in Charleston, SC. The partnership offers patients access to nationally renowned providers, innovative services, and cutting-edge technology.

“Myrtle Beach in particular has been an area of interest for us as we have seen an influx of residents traveling to our Carolina Eyecare Physicians offices for ophthalmic services. Having a local US Eye office for pre-and post-operative care will be a welcome convenience for our patients who reside in the region,” said Dr. Kerry Solomon, Chief Medical Officer of US Eye and Cataract Surgeon at Carolina Eyecare Physicians. He adds, “I have personally worked with Dr. Thomas for over a decade and have been thoroughly impressed by his expertise, practice model and his dedication to excellent patient care. He's a fantastic addition to the US Eye team.”

Dr. Shawn Thomas completed his undergraduate studies in Pre-Medicine and Biology at Penn State University and obtained his Doctorate of Optometry degree from the Pennsylvania College of Optometry. He continued his extensive training at The Eye Institute in Philadelphia, PA, the Medical Hospital at Langley Air Force Base in Hampton, VA and the Katzen Eye Group in Baltimore, MD. Dr. Thomas has been practicing for over two decades and specializes in caring for patients with advanced ocular disease such as glaucoma, cataracts, macular degeneration, dry eye and cornea conditions. He is committed to continuing education and advancing the eye care industry, having published numerous journal articles on refractive surgery and lectured at conferences across the United States and internationally.

Speaking of the partnership, Dr. Thomas shares, “US Eye’s operational model is the gold standard for any medical optometry practice. The collaboration between surgeon and optometric physician is seamless, allowing patients to experience exceptional care throughout the patient journey. The integrated aspect of US Eye practices, in addition to the physician-led environment, makes US Eye a superior organization that I am proud to join. I look forward to providing my patients with the advanced technology, innovative treatments and the expanded resources that US Eye brings to the table.”

US Eye is a physician led, patient-centric network of practices founded on a commitment to providing exceptional patient service through premium technology and unrivaled provider expertise. Member practices offer an extensive range of ophthalmic and optometric services including comprehensive eye exams, laser cataract surgery, advanced intraocular lenses, all-laser LASIK, glaucoma, retina, cornea care, and more.

The addition of Eastern Eye Care brings the total number of US Eye practice locations to 64 across the Southeastern United States. Eastern Eye Care will integrate its operations, procedures, and service offerings with Carolina Eyecare Physicians, expanding the practice network further throughout coastal South Carolina.

About US Eye US Eye is a leading group of patient-centric, vertically integrated multi-specialty physician practices providing patients with care in ophthalmology, optometry, dermatology, audiology and cosmetic facial surgery. US Eye is based in Sarasota, Florida, employing over 110 providers and over 1,000 staff members across 5 states. The company currently operates 64 offices and 5 ambulatory surgery centers in the Southeast United States. US Eye is owned by its partner practices and is backed by Pamlico Capital, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based firm investing in founder-owned businesses for over 30 years. Learn more about US Eye at USEye.com.

If you’ve ever wondered what food South Carolinians hate the most, the website Sweet & Savory has your answer.

Matcha tea.

Not too surprising for a state that loves and celebrates its iced tea, sweet of course. It is so beloved, in fact, that Summerville, where sweet tea was born, has an annual festival in its honor, and it begins Saturday. Downtown Summerville becomes a massive open house, food truck roundup, artist gallery, performances and, of course, tea.

Anyway, about matcha tea. It has been used in Japanese tea ceremonies for centuries and is made from dried green tea leaves ground into a powder. Mixed with milk or water, it is said to have a bitter, vegetal, even grassy taste.

The website Love & Lemons, which features vegetarian dishes, says because the actual tea leaves are used rather than dipped in water and discarded, matcha tea has more antioxidants than regular green tea. Antioxidants help combat aging and fight diseases such as diabetes, cancer and heart problems.

Matcha is also green and high in caffeine.

“Matcha’s grassy, umami flavor can be an acquired taste,” Love & Lemons states. “If you’re new to making it, don’t hesitate to add a few drops of maple syrup or honey.”

Now, you’re talking. Sweet tea.

Other states have some interesting hates, including California, which apparently hates Chick-Fil-A. What? Unthinkable in a state that seems to add a Chick-Fil-A regularly.

And horrors to Hawaii. They say no to Coca-Cola. Created in 1886 by a pharmacist in Atlanta, Coke is so ingrained in Southern culture, it has become the universally accepted term for all soft drinks.

Georgia folks, meanwhile, don’t like tuna salad.

Alabama: “The people in Alabama don’t have the stomach for Chipotle. Known for using high quality natural and organic ingredients in its food, this Mexican place cannot seem to crack its Alabama market,” Sweet & Savory says.

Is that a backhanded way of saying Alabamans don’t like organic food?

North Carolina: Big no on cottage cheese.

Neighbors Texas and Oklahoma not surprisingly have opinions about meat. Texas says well done steaks are an abomination while Oklahoma abhors veggie burgers.

And Floridians just can’t get into eating licorice.

The website doesn’t say how it came up with the hate list and a spokesperson could not be reached for comment. It describes itself on its website as a brand of SBLY Media, formerly Shareably, that uses data to inform its stories and grow its audience.

This story was originally published September 16, 2022 5:00 AM.